There is well known a control apparatus for a vehicle provided with a motor/generator functioning as a drive power source, and a mechanically operated transmission mechanism which constitutes a part of a power transmitting path between the motor/generator and drive wheels. A control apparatus disclosed in JP-2011-199959A is an example of this type of vehicular control apparatus. This document discloses a technique for restricting an increase of a regenerative torque of the motor/generator until a shift-down action of the transmission mechanism is completed, when a vehicle braking operation is performed during the shift-down action implemented as a result of reduction of the running speed of the vehicle in a coasting regenerative run of the vehicle (namely, during a regenerative operation of the motor/generator in the coasting run of the vehicle).
By the way, the regenerative torque generated by the motor/generator in a decelerating run of the vehicle is controlled to be larger when a braking operation is performed by the vehicle operator than when the braking operation is not performed, or so as to increase with an increase of an amount of the braking operation. Accordingly, an inertia in an input inertia system of the mechanically operated transmission mechanism including the motor/generator is increased with an increase of the regenerative torque of the motor/generator when the braking operation is performed by the vehicle operator (when an amount of operation of a brake pedal by the vehicle operator is increased) during a shift-down action of the mechanically operated transmission mechanism in the process of a regenerative torque control, so that a length of time until the shift-down action is completed is prolonged. If an operating speed of an actuator for the shift-down action is increased for reducing the required length of time for completion of the shift-down action, an output torque of the mechanically operated transmission mechanism varies by an amount that can be felt by the vehicle operator, so that drivability of the vehicle may be deteriorated. To deal with this problem in the control apparatus of JP-2011-199959A, it is considered to restrict the increase of the regenerative torque during the shift-down action in the process of the regenerative torque control. In this case, however, the increase of the regenerative torque is restricted also when the amount of braking operation is increased, so that an amount of electric energy that would be normally generated with the regenerative torque is not obtained. The reduction of the amount of generation of electric energy as a result of reduction of the amount of generation of the regenerative energy is not favorable for improvement of fuel economy of the vehicle.